How To Be More Productive As A Developer

Whether you're an experienced developer or just starting, the constant influx of new technologies can be overwhelming and daunting. How do you know which tools are right for you? How do you know what to learn next?

Even after several years in the field, it's easy for a developer to fall into a repetitive cycle of learning new libraries and frameworks. And if your projects start to take longer than usual and seem harder than ever to finish, that might be because you're not using your time effectively enough.

After all, being productive doesn't just mean getting your job done in the shortest amount of time possible—it also means automating as many tedious tasks as possible so that you can spend more time writing code instead of wasting time tracking down bugs or researching solutions.

In this post, we'll explore some simple hacks that will positively impact your productivity as a developer.

What is Productivity as a Developer? 😁

No matter how much experience you have under your belt, if you are not efficient with your time as a developer, you will never be able to progress at a sustainable rate.

Your projects will always be in the state in which they are currently. You can be a master in your craft, but if you're not productive, you're just a master at wasting time.

Being productive as a developer is about striking the right balance between being an efficient troubleshooter and a coder.

1. Code Review as a Daily Habit 🧑‍💻

Coders are always looking for new tricks and tips to boost their productivity, but one thing that shouldn't change is the importance of regular code review.

This doesn't have to be a lengthy, 10-person code review every week—it just needs to be part of your daily workflow. Code reviews can be quick and informal or a full-blown conference call between your teammate and yourself. What matters is that they happen frequently enough to become a part of your daily routine.

2. Get Organized 🚀

Next time you look at your desk, your laptop, and the code in front of you—or your entire office—try to come away with a new understanding of what this space represents.

How many projects are on your desk? Are they lined up in an organized fashion? How many open source libraries and frameworks do you use? How many breaks are you taking regularly?

These are just a few of the many factors that contribute to your level of productivity as a developer. They are essential to recognize as they can help you make better decisions, but they can also serve as an excuse for poor time management. Start by thinking about what space you have in your workspace.

This doesn't have to be a large open floor plan, but it does have to be somewhere you have a clear mental image of everything in it.

3. Take Short Breaks ☕

As much as you feel like you need to be working, you also need to take breaks. A break from work won't automatically make you more productive, but it's essential for your mental health.

If you enter a state of overwork, you'll likely approach your next task in a similar state. So how can you prevent this from happening?

One way is to set a timer for every 30 minutes so that you can take a break every hour. You can also try working in 30-minute stretches, alternating with 15- or 30-minute intervals.

Longer breaks, even if they're just 15 minutes long, allow your brain to reset and get refocused on your work. This is particularly important if you find yourself getting frustrated or confused while you're working.

4. Track Your Progress With a Daily Reflection Session 💡

Every developer has days when they feel like they're buried under work. It's easy to forget why you're in programming in the first place, so it's essential to carve out time every day to take a break and reflect on what's going well and what's not so well with your life as a developer.

With a daily reflection session, you can track your progress and examine how your productivity improves. With the right tools, it's easy to figure out how you're doing and what areas you can improve.

5. Automate What You Can 💯

Planning and executing repetitive tasks can seem like a waste of time since you can accomplish them more efficiently with a programmed task. Programming is an art, not a science, so there will always be some things you have to do manually. There are, however, many things you can automate and get done much more efficiently.

For example, setting up continuous integration once a project is green-lit is a time-saving process.

If you have a team or are working alone on a project, being able to automatically build and test your code once every 24 hours can make you feel a lot more confident about what you're working on.

When you start seeing that code running on a continuous integration server, you're more likely to be confident to fix any issues it introduces. In this way, automation can be an excellent way to improve your productivity as a developer.

Conclusion

You're constantly faced with new challenges and opportunities when you're a developer. You can't let the fear of the unknown hold you back; you must keep trying new things and challenging yourself. But as you do so, you'll also need to ensure you're also using your time effectively.